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ffxv_kinkmeme2017-08-02 05:17 pm
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Prompt Post Round Five
Welcome to Round Five of the FFXV Kink Meme!
Closed for prompts | OPEN for fills
Please have a look at the extended rules here.
The important rules in short:
Please direct any questions or report any problems to the Ask a mod post.
Prompt, write, draw, comment, and most importantly have fun!
(You can also check out our Pinboard for Filled or Unfilled prompts)
If you'd like to advertise a fill, head on over to the fills post! This is, of course, entirely optional.
New Prompts are Closed for this round. Please wait until 11/13/2017 for Round Six.
Closed for prompts | OPEN for fills
Please have a look at the extended rules here.
The important rules in short:
- Post anonymously.
- Negative comments on other people's prompts (kink-shaming, pairing-bashing etc.) and personal attacks of any kind will not be tolerated.
- Don't be an asshole.
- One prompt per comment. Warnings for common triggers and squicks are encouraged, but not required.
- Prompts should follow the format: Character/character, prompt.
- Keep prompts to a reasonable length; prompts should not be detailed story outlines.
- Fills should have the word "Fill:" at the start of the subject line.
- Otherwise please avoid changing the subject line.
- No reposting of prompts from previous rounds, please.
- No Meme-Police. Only ffxv_kinknator and ffxv_kinkhelper and ffxv_kinkmod are allowed to mod the meme. If you spot a rules violation, don't comment in the thread, report it on the Ask a mod post.
Please direct any questions or report any problems to the Ask a mod post.
Prompt, write, draw, comment, and most importantly have fun!
(You can also check out our Pinboard for Filled or Unfilled prompts)
If you'd like to advertise a fill, head on over to the fills post! This is, of course, entirely optional.
New Prompts are Closed for this round. Please wait until 11/13/2017 for Round Six.
Fill (3/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-10-24 03:25 am (UTC)(link)Ardyn watches with amusement as the teen scuttles about, quickly making sure his chores are done before they head out. He’s still surprised the child hadn’t wished for the house to just be cleaned to get it over with, or even wished for something extravagant for breakfast; the boy just made a passable omelet for them both with a side of toast and sausage links.
“You know child, you could wish for your chores to be done with.” he tells him, slightly growing impatient as the teen rechecks all his prior work.
“I know, but that would be a waste of your magic.” he says and resituates a statue, frowns at it, then moves it back. “Besides, that would be the easy and lazy way to do it.”
The older man can’t help but smile at the teen, finding his determination and discipline to be truly inspiring. It reminds him of someone from long ago, someone who he had all but forgotten and that makes him truly sad.
“All right, let's go.” the teen says and grabs up his coat along with his duffle for training, turning to look to the man but finding him gone. “Sir?”
“I’m here child, just have hidden myself. I’m sure it would not look appropriate for a strange grown man to be following a teen around.”
“Ah, yeah, that’s true. Everyone knows me from around here and it’s not like I can just lie and call you my granddad.” Gladio chuckles and feels a flick to his forehead. “Geez, just playing with you.”
“No time for that, we must get a move on to the bookstore. Hopefully I can find what I need to reverse this damned spell and return home.”
Ardyn feels a slight tinge in his chest after uttering those words, but ignores it along with the pout the teen lets slip. The twosome make their way downtown, the teen being stopped by everyone who crosses his path with some fawning over how handsome he is, others asking about his father, and those who think it’s their business to badger the teen over their grievances with the Parliament’s recent votes and orders. They arrive at the store, a rather macabre place that makes Ardyn feel rather at home, with the man skulking off by himself and reappearing to begin scouring. Not even a few minutes after searching, the teen invades his personal space with his behemoth sized form and stupid childlike grin.
“Found you.” he says, a slight pep to his voice.
Ardyn feels his eyes roll unwittingly. “Hmm, yes, I suppose you did.” he says and eyes to book stuff up under the teen’s armpit. “Have you found something? I hope it's not a summoning book, you may not get lucky next time and summon something that will gouge out your eyes.”
“Nah, it’ll be okay, I’ll just punch them.” Gladio says, eyes shining brightly and stupid grin growing even wider. “Ow.”
Ardyn groans after swatting the boy on his hard head and returns to looking through some tomes. “For a future Shield of the King, you lack self-preservation.”
“Got to get used to putting myself in harm's way and triumphing over adversity. When your only purpose is to stand between an enemy and your Liege th-ow.” the teen whimpers and rubs his head after getting another swat.
“Have some dignity boy, you are not cattle bred to be used for one purpose, then get tossed away when you can’t perform your duty any longer.”
The teen frowns greatly. “We don’t get tossed away, we die.”
Ardyn’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, looking to the teen who has turned and started walking away. It wasn’t like that back during his time, sure his guardian was there to protect him but that wasn’t his only purpose in life, he was a human with his own life to live. If he knew this is what it would spiral into, he would have never set the Shield line in order. He begins to feel a twinge in his chest, one that sets the Daemons in him into a tizzy, but he forces it away as always and returns to his task. Or at least he tries. He is constantly finding himself looking to the teen as he solemnly pokes at books and moving himself when the teen goes out of eyesight. Ardyn can’t figure out what it is that makes him feel despondent seeing the boy look akin to a kicked puppy; he never had children to have parental feelings nor is he having untoward inclinations towards the teen. Maybe it has to do with him being ensorcelled. Ardyn resumes his hunt for a book, coming across two that seem promising that both contain spells to break one already cast. Hopefully one of them will work. He goes to pay for his books, finding the teen at the checkout counter as well with a few books of his own preparing to pay. But something overcomes the older man as he sets down his books onto the counter and gently moves the teen aside.
“I shall pay for the young man’s books as well.”
Gladio’s face lights up. “Thank you sir. You didn’t have to, I have my allowance that I have been saving.”
“Then continue to save it.” he says and hands the books over to the boy. Ardyn steps outside first, then waits for the teen to join him. “So what have you gotten for yourself?”
“One’s on old folktales and legends, the other is on Cryptozoology.”
“Odd, but interesting nonetheless.”
“Were you able to find something?”
“Yes, two different reversal spells. But I'll need to look over them better.”
“Ah, I see.” the teen says and looks at his watch. “Well, we should probably get you back to my home and then you can look over your books some more.”
“Actually I’ll just stick with you today, if you don’t mind.”
The teen looks curiously at him and goes to ask a question Ardyn already knows how to answer by making himself invisible. Gladio blinks for a beat but then smiles goofily and continues on to where he is to have his daily training. After placing his duffle into his locker and bashfully changing inside a stall, the teen begins his daily regiment as Ardyn remains hidden, skulking about while occasionally retreating to a corner to read over the tomes he has once again. The one spell seems simple enough, needing only a minor amount of blood from the summoner to be mixed with some herbs and spring water. Then the solution is to be drunk by the original caster, be passed by a kiss to the entangled one before the both of them read off an incantation. The spell seems too rudimentary to actually work, but then again a simple-minded teen was able to summon him with only a basic spell. The other spell is more intricate, needing days to prepare and a variety of elements to be used. But the thing most troubling about the spell, is what it requires in exchange for it to potentially activate. While it isn’t beneath him to maim a small vermin or an annoying dignitary, or bed someone and take advantage of them to advance his goals, it is when the victim is an agonizingly naive and innocent young boy who he begrudgingly will admit he feels ‘slightly’ sorry for. He’s not for sure if he should potentially search another establishment for more tomes, or suck it up and try the simpler incantation first, even if the prospect of kissing the whelp makes him uneasy. Ardyn lets out a deep sigh and returns back to where he left the boy, finding him in dire straits. An older boy has him by the throat, screaming in his face as the teen remains unyielding in his grasp only to get a punch to the face for his effort. The Chancellor feels his ire rise, not only against the aggressor but for the younger boy who won’t fight back. He’s to be the future King’s Shield, and he can’t even fend off a bully?
“You’re a pathetic piece of shit and the only reason you're here is because of who your daddy is.” the older boy taunts.
“You’re the one who's pathetic, wasting your time slacking off and picking fights when you should be training to protect the Crown City and it’s people.”
This earns the teen another strike and a shove backward, but the teen remains undeterred and holds his ground. It was then the door leading into the training room is shoved open and the trainer from before storms in, eyeing the group of teens that scurry into formation and salute him. He stalks in front of them, taking brief stops to look a few up and down before stopping before Gladio. His face goes menacing and then steps over to stand before the teen that struck the younger boy, his face going from haughty to terrified.
“I wasn’t aware I assigned you the task of training with Amicitia, or am I being forgetful?”
“N, no sir you uh didn’t and you’re n, not.” the teen whimpers out, body trembling.
“Then why is his face smashed up!?” the man snaps, getting in the teen’s face who looks about ready to cry. “Drop and give me one hundred, now! And the rest of you hit the showers.” he orders and then walks over to Gladio. The man looks down at the boy, letting a deep sigh escape him as he shakes his head. “I know it’s been instilled in you that a Shield is to not harm a Crown citizen and only raise a strike against those who wish to harm their Liege, but you can at least dodge the attacks.”
“Yes sir.” the teen says, sounding slightly down. But he begins to smile softly as his hair is ruffled slightly and gets a pat on the shoulder.
“Good, go get cleaned up too, you have a performance review in a half hour.”
The teen bows to his superior and scampers off, not noticing the look of despair the other man gets before shaking his head and turning back to the punished teen. Ardyn rubs at his scruffy chin, knowing why the boy didn’t fight back, but he still feels it to be a stupid reason. Although, he’s now getting a strange sinking feeling of what is to come for the boy next especially after the face his instructor made. It couldn’t be any worse than the ones he had the prior day, could it? Not that he truly cared, not one bit. The teen skips from the locker room, all crisply clean and bright-eyed in his fatigues despite his face still puffy from the punches early. Ardyn remains hidden as he follows the boy, stopping to watch as he greets everyone who crosses his path and unabashedly flirts with the maids who just titter and fuss over him while patting him on his head. The auburn haired man rolls his eyes and lets an annoyed groan slip that startles the boy as he once again stopped, this time to pet an old fat cat perched on a stone banister.
“Oh, hello sir.” he says, glancing around at thin air. “You don’t have to come with me you know, you can stay here. There's a bench over there by the flower bushes for you to sit and read if you like. Unless you want to enjoy watching me get picked apart by a bunch of stogey old people and my dad.”
Ardyn materializes himself before the teen, shaking his head at the goofy smile he gets from the boy. “Sounds rivting.” he says and heads towards the garden.
He immerses himself back into the books he purchased earlier, finding other spells that are quite intriguing. While not ones to help free him, he’s sure a replication spell will be quite useful sometime later. Ardyn is so enthralled in his book he doesn’t even notice the movement coming from the bushes until a mop of black hair pokes forward and looks around before disappearing again.
“Highness!” an accented voice calls out with extreme annoyance.
Ardyn quickly makes himself invisible just as the boy with the glasses storms past, looking quite fatigued and done for the day. He comes back over and scans the area before huffing in anger.
“Noctis it is dinner time and you will eat it whether you like green bean casserole or not.” he snaps and looks around.
“Still no luck, my boy?” an older man says and places his hand on the boy's shoulder.
“I’m sorry Uncle, I don’t know where else he could have gotten off to.”
“Don’t worry, he’ll come out once he gets hungry enough.” he says and leads his nephew from the gardens.
Once the two are out of sight, the young boy peeks back out from the bushes with a cheeky grin and crawls out. He quickly dusts himself off and sticks out his tongue in the direction the other two had left before plopping down onto the bench, narrowly avoiding sitting on the hidden man and takes out a phone that he begins to play. Ardyn stares at the young boy, feeling the daemons begin to bubble forth as they hiss and spit at him, then a sinister grin spreads across his face when he realizes just who this brat was. It was him, the one he has been waiting for centuries to appear. But then his glee quickly morphs into annoyance, recalling what the bespectacled boy and Gladio said about this child, that he was basically a spoiled brat and lazy. Oh no, that would not be permitted of the True King, not at all. He debates whether to show himself and scare the little snot onto the straight and narrow or see to it he gets the adequate training needed by ragging on the oaf when he returns, but he decides neither are proper at the moment when he hears a door slam loudly and hurried footsteps approaching.
“Gladiolus!” a deep voice snaps loudly, making the footsteps stop. A sharp and painful slap echoes through the air, making the young Prince gasp and wince and Ardyn feel a seething rage bubbling forth. “Don’t you ever disgrace your heritage or King before the council again by appearing in a manner as you are now. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I will be returning home briefly tomorrow, I expect the house to be immaculate and outside be maintained. If I find one spec of dust or blade of grass uncut, you will be punished.”
“I understand.”
“Good, but know this, you disappointed me greatly tonight and you should be ashamed.”
Loud footsteps come closer to the gardens, stopping to stare at the shell-shocked Prince who looks mortified at the large ornately dressed man. Ardyn can hear the boy’s breathing increase, sounding less scared and more incensed as his body begins to tremble.
“Highness, you should be on your way to the dining hall. Your father will be there shortly and will expect you there as well.”
The boy remains seated briefly, staring down the older man unwaveringly until the elder turns back and bows before someone as they step forward.
“Noctis, it is dinner time. Go to the dining hall or you will be given no dessert tonight.”
The young Prince yips and jumps from the bench, dashing away as the King sighs with exasperation.
“You are too soft with him, Regis.”
“And you are too hard on yours, Clarus.” the King retorts as he begins to walk away, the other man a few steps behind and looking greatly perturbed.
Once the two are out of sight, Gladio steps forward with his head down and makes his way into the gardens, sniffling and wiping at his eyes.
“Let’s go home now, I have a lot to get done tonight before it gets too dark.”
Ardyn regains himself and gently places his fingers under the boy’s chin, lifting his head up to see his face. The teen refuses to make eye contact and looks with wet eyes off to the side as he snuffles up some blood that trickles from a nostril. Then Ardyn notices a new swelling bruise in the shape of a handprint adorning his cheek. It was then older man felt the last of his resolve crumble as he pulls the boy into a tight embrace, stroking his hair and patting his back as the teen begins to tremble and softly weep. Not only did the boy remind him of his Shield, but he begins to recall another young man, one who had so much expectation thrust upon his young body and was beaten tremendously when he didn’t meet the lofty standards set forth. Someone who became embittered as he got older and shut off his own feelings so as not to interfere with his duty ultimately being what allowed the daemons in him to fester so greatly they overtook his body and made him unclean to where he was shunned. It reminded him, of himself.
Fill (4/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-10-24 03:26 am (UTC)(link)Fill (5/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-11-07 05:14 am (UTC)(link)“Are you finished now, child?” Ardyn says, frowning at the decorum. “It looks just as tacky as the day I arrived.”
“I think so.” Gladio replies and rubs at his eyes. “But I’ll recheck it in the morning to make absolutely sure before he arrives.”
“Is this something that has been going on for years? Or only recent?”
Gladio nibbles on his lip and furrows his brows. “It’s, been like this since I was young.”
“And what of your sister?”
“Oh gods no, he wouldn’t do this to her.”
“But he does you.”
“Because I’m the next Shield.”
“What if she was?”
This causes the teen to turn slightly pale and tremble. “Then I failed as an Amicitia, as a Shield, and as an older brother.”
Ardyn frowns at the teen, feeling a slight bit of pity for him that gets the daemons in a tizzy. This boy, why does he have to be such a sad whelp? The boy rubs at his eyes once more, letting a soft yawn escape him as he turns to head down the hall.
“Are you not going to eat something? I barely even seen you snack while training today. It’s not healthy for the body to forgo food.” Ardyn tells the boy. “Eat an apple with some peanut butter, it will help with the transport of tryptophan and help regulate your sleep.” he schools and then looks crossly at the snickering boy. “What, pray tell, is so amusing to you boy?”
“You sound like the Marshal, he’s always talking up health stuff like that.”
Ardyn recalls the dour-faced instructor, the one who seems to show some care for the teen. Gladio relents and takes a few minutes to have a quick snack before he tucks himself into bed, leaving Ardyn to his own musings. The man flits about the house, rechecking everything himself since he knows what the boy’s father will more than likely be searching for. Once he finishes his recleaning, he decides a nice bath is in order and takes his new books with him. He must have lost track of the time for when he finally removes himself from the tub and puts it back in the state it was prior, he hears movement coming from the main area. Ardyn checks his pocket watch, finding it to be about five-thirty in the morning, and sighs. Was the teen already up and about checking things again, or had his father shown up for his inspection. It’s neither. An old man unloads a bag of groceries into the cabinets before opening the fridge and frowning. He pulls out a half-gallon of milk and checks its date before dumping it down the sink, replacing the container with a brand new one. After putting the items away he looks around, doing a similar sweep of the premise just as Ardyn had. Who was this man?
“Jared!” an excited voice calls out as the teen plods into the main room, dressed and way to chipper for this time of the day. “You’re here early, everything going well for you?”
“Yes, quite all right my boy.” the old man says and turns to the teen, his once cheery smile falling. “Gladiolus, your face, did you get into a fight during training?”
“I uh, yeah, I did.” he says as he touches the bruises on his face.
The man shakes his head. “You know your father will be displeased.”
“He knows.”
The man’s face falls even more, but then he perks back up and goes to retrieve something from a satchel by the doorway. “Well I made sure the pantry was restocked before I head back to my son’s to help with my Grandson. I also made you these.” he says and pulls out a white box that makes the teen look with excitement.
“Thanks Jared, you’re the best.” the teen says gratefully and takes the box.
The older man smiles warmly and pats the teen’s cheek before saying farewell and exiting the house. Gladio looks down fondly at the box, opening the top and looking inside before taking out one of the items from inside.
“Isn’t it a bit early to be partaking in sweets?” Ardyn calls out, holding himself from laughing as the teen yips in surprise and returns the cookie to the box.
“Oh, good morning.” he says as he turns and smiles at him. “You’re up early.”
He actually hadn’t slept, but he wasn’t going to tell him that. “So I assume that man was your butler?”
“Yeah, that was Jared.” the teen says, a happy smile on his face as he holds the white container to his chest.
But the sound of heavy boots startles the teen as he quickly places the box into a cabinet and makes sure his clothing is tidy before waiting by the door with a stiffness rivaled only by the statues on the mantle. Ardyn makes himself invisible just as the door opens, seeing the teen’s father step inside and bypass his bowing son as he goes to remove his jacket. The elder looks at his son, the boy standing straight up with his eyes forward, and shakes his head at him. Then the agonizingly slow process of the man white gloving every inch of the house begins. Gladio breath hitches every time his father takes a second look at something he had prior, but then relaxes when he makes a pleased grunt and moves along. After what seemed like a tense hour, the man steps back inside from his scour of the outdoors, standing before his son with his military rigidness.
“You have kept the property maintained, well done.”
“Thank you father.” the teen says and tries to force down the soft smile that slips onto his face as the elder Amicitia places his hand on his son’s head before retreating towards his room.
“I spoke to Jared and he informed me he had dropped off groceries for you, I still have meetings all today so when your mother drops off Iris, I’ll need you to watch her.”
“Yes father.” Gladio says, another warm smile forming on his lips.
The elder man returns from his room with a suit inside a bag before collecting up his jacket. “I shall try to make it home in time before dinner, if not prepare something healthy for your sister. Not just noodles.”
“Yes sir.”
His father leaves and Gladio lets out an exhausted sigh, rubbing at his eyes as he heads into the kitchen. “You want breakfast?”
“Hmm, yes, wish up something hearty for us both.”
Gladio beams brightly and does as told with Ardyn willing the food into existence for them. They make a plan to hit up a few more shops in hopes to finding more reversal spells, but too for Ardyn to start collecting items that seem to be needed in either spell. Gladio does a quick search and finds three that meet almost all of the requirements need. The first establishment holds the candles and roots needed, while the second a skull top cup that makes the teen grimace. Neither house any new spells to try out, just the same ones he already has possession of. As they make their way to the third, Ardyn notices the teen looking longingly at a park across the street where groups of families spend time together, laughing and cherishing one another.
“A place you are familiar with?”
“Yeah, we would go there to have family picnics during the summer. Mom would read to Iris under a large oak tree as Dad would teach me to ride my bike and tell me about all the fun adventures he had when he was younger. It was so much fun.” he says and then his face falls slightly. “Now we just visit here with Jared every so often.”
“Oh? Do you wish to stop momentarily, toss around a ball or something?”
Gladio snorts at this. “No, it’s okay, we have more important things to do right now.”
“Very well, I shall save throwing things for you to catch for a later time.”
The two arrive at the third place, the teen groaning when he reads a sign disallowing those under the age of eighteen and parking himself on a bench with a huff. Ardyn pats the teen on his head and promises to purchase him something once he’s done before heading inside to stalk the wares, finding the interior to be quite to his liking with its bohemian touch and rather expansive collection of baubles. He finds three books, two of them the same with the one being the sacrifice or sex spell and the other the simpler spell. The third offers something a bit new while having a similar set up to the basic spell, instead of a kiss the summoner must give up something they hold dear. Ardyn purchases the tome along with some items of interest for use once he returns back to his own abode, plus a bottle of liquor and an interesting necklace he believes the teen would find ‘cool’. But when he exits the building he doesn’t find the teen where he had left him. A quick look around doesn’t turn him up and he can’t see the oversized boy roaming the park either. He feels a deep annoyance fill him but that slowly subsides when he spies a couple teen boys peek from an alleyway, only to grin and head back inside. Ardyn feels a rare chill run down his spine as he follows after them down the long alley, turning a few corners until he comes to a dead-end. There he finds a small cluster of boys surrounding two who duke it out quite violently. The older man rolls his eyes, knowing who one of them probably is. Sure enough, the whelp is there, nose smashed up and bloodied, but at least he’s fighting back this time. Ardyn goes to snap at the group until he hears the teen yelp and gasp in pain as another one of the boys jump in unfairly, him stumbling back as he holds his side. The auburn haired man goes stiff as he sees the other boy brandish a rather large blade, it covered in a deep crimson liquid, and begins to laugh as he descends upon the slumping teen. A darkness overtakes him as he watches the blade wielder grab up the teen and press the sharp edge against his cheek as he mocks him vehemently.
“Boys,” a guttural and vitriolic voice sneers out, making the group stop dead in their tracks and slowly turn with looks of terror as they see what is behind them. “leave him, NOW!”
The group runs screaming from the alley, leaving the gasping and bleeding teen with the hellish form of what was once Ardyn. He walks over to the boy and finds him bleary-eyed and trying so hard to not cry from the pain in his side, feeling a strange twang in his chest as he returns to his normal form. Ardyn crouches down before the young teen, touching his blood covered hand gently and shushing him as he tries to speak. Tears stream down the boy’s cheeks, him beginning to hiccup as he continues to hold onto himself. Ardyn racks his brain for what to do, taking him to the hospital was out of the question since it would bring way too many problems then needed, but it isn’t possible for him to carry the child back to his home to be bandaged either. It only leaves him with one potential solution, if he can even fully still do it. He takes out the bottle of liquor he purchased, calling on the power of his bloodline to enchant the bottle and watches as it begins to sparkle and glow. It seems to have worked.
“Drink this child, it’ll heal you. Ardyn says and offers the bottle to the wounded boy but gets refused. “Drink it, I will not have you bleed all over this filthy back alley, that is undignified for someone of your pedigree.”
“It’s, alcohol sir.”
Ardyn sighs greatly. “I changed its property, it will heal you, now drink it.” he snaps and shoves the bottle into the teen's mouth. Ardyn pulls the bottle away once he’s sure Gladio drank enough and then checks the wound, finding it to have stopped bleeding. “There now, feeling better?”
“I few fun-e.” the brunette mumbles out, cheeks flushed and eyes lulling about.
Ardyn purses his lips. Well, it did work somewhat at least.
Re: Fill (5/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-11-07 05:24 am (UTC)(link)Re: Fill (5/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-11-07 01:52 pm (UTC)(link)Fill (6/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-11-20 04:12 am (UTC)(link)“Child, why don’t you try and eat something. Like toast or crackers. I’m sure it’ll help your stomach.”
Gladio makes the most pitiful expression and shakes his head. “I’m fine.”
Ardyn frowns deeply and returns to his book as the teen shuffles about, groaning softly until he finds a position that is comfortable. It’s not much longer until Ardyn can hear soft steady breathing coming from the teen, looking up and seeing that he has finally fallen asleep. He quietly closes his book and gets up from the chair, walking over to the boy and gently pulling the throw blanket over the back of the couch around him. He tucks him in, allowing a brief smile escape him before he realizes what he is doing and cringes, remembering that this little brat trapped him here while trying to play summoner. But still, as he looks at this sad sack before him, he feels a twinge of woe for him and his miserable little life. Just a small bit. He decides to let the boy sleep and heads off to retrieve his other books, skimming through them and stopping on one spell that had intrigued him before. Ardyn stands before a large mirror that was covered in the basement, looking at his reflection as he chants from the book. He lets his mind go blank before an image comes to his mind and a white light engulfs him. Instead of his own form staring back at him, it is instead replaced by a person from his past.
“Hmm, it worked, this will be quite useful.” he says and cancels the spell after reading off that incantation, returning back to himself. Oh the dastardly things he can do with this particular spell.
But the sounds of little feet pattering against the floor above catches his attention, knowing they are way to soft to be the plodding teen’s. It’s then he hears the squeaky voice of a young girl and remembers the boy’s little sister was returning home. Ardyn once again makes himself invisible and travels upstairs, finding himself fighting off a soft smile as he watches the teen crouched down before the girl, her arms outstretched and a saddened look on her face as she limbs around his neck.
“Gladdy what happened!? Did those bullies beat you up again? Cause if they did I’m gonna go beat them up!”
“Iris you know you can’t do that, it’s not nice.”
“But them beating you up is not nice either. You need to defend yourself or else I will!” she says and puffs out her cheeks. But then she stops and stares directly where Ardyn is standing, eyes going wide and pointing. “Gladdy, who’s that?”
Ardyn flinches back in shock, he knows he made himself invisible, so how could this child see him? He watches as Gladio looks where his sister is pointing, furrowing his brows as he scans the area.
“I don’t see anything.”
“But there is someone!” she says and looks scared. “Gladdy is it a ghost?”
The teen looks unsure of how to respond to his sister, so Ardyn decides to reveal himself since it seems the girl can see him anyway. Both siblings yelp in surprise as he manifests, him grinning with amusement at their faces.
“See!? I told you someone was there!” the girl snaps at her brother, no longer looking scared before she looks at the man and smiles. “Hi, I’m Iris, what’s your name? Are you a ghost mister?”
Ardyn chuckles and quickly thinks up a lie. “My name is of no matter, my child. And yes, I am a ghost.” he says and brings a finger to his lips. “So I must ask for you and your brother to keep quiet about me or else I can’t do what I need to and move on.” he tells her and almost snorts at the sad face she makes.
“That’s terrible, I’ll keep you a secret so you can go into the afterlife.” Iris says and looks up at her brother incredulously. “You better listen to Gladdy.”
“Oh, huh sure, yeah.” he says and forces a smile and sets his sister down.
The little girl bounds over to Ardyn, looking up at him bright-eyed and with intrigue. “So why are you stuck here Mister Ghost?”
The auburn haired man takes a quick glance back at the teen, gleefully watching him squirm under his gaze before looking back down at the little cherubic faced girl. “I was summoned by a very naughty person who shouldn’t have been messing around with magic and until I can figure out a way to unbind myself, I can’t leave.”
“Okay! Me and Gladdy can help in any way you need Mister Ghost!”
“Thank you dear, but don’t worry yourself about me,” he says and looks back over to the red-faced teen. “I have most of what I need already. Just have to begin preparing.”
The girl smiles big, mirroring the dumb grin her brother has made before and making Ardyn chuckle softly. “So can you do anything cool? Like, fly or go through walls?”
“Iris.” Gladio says with a scolding tone and gets a bratty look from the girl. “Stop bugging him with questions, okay?
“Oh all right.” she says with a pout but then becomes cheery again. “I’m hungry Gladdy! Make me noodles, please!?”
“Sorry Iris, but dad said I have to make you something besides Cup Noodles.”
“But that’s what I want. You make them really good.” Iris whines.
“I can’t, I’m sorry.”
“No fair!” the little girl whines again and turns to Ardyn, giving him a sad face. “Mister Ghost, you’re an adult, tell Gladdy it’s okay for him to make me noodles.”
“I am sorry, child, but your brother is correct. Besides, do you want your father to be mad and spank you for not listening?”
“Papa doesn’t spank me, he just makes me sit for five minutes and then I have to apologize.”
Ardyn purses his lips and looks from the smiling girl to her brother, seeing his face fall slightly before it’s masked away behind a smile. “I see. Well no matter, you should listen to your brother. He is taking care of you at the moment and was given strict orders by your father from what I overheard.”
“Okay.” Iris sighs out before turning to her brother. “Can I help you make dinner then?”
“Yeah.” he says and crouches down in front of her. “You can help me measure the rice and beans, but first you need to put your bag away.”
“All right, and then I’ll help you make dinner Gladdy!” she cheers and runs off.
Gladio sighs but smiles before looking to Ardyn, only for his smile to slowly dissipate into a frown as he looks at him. “Sorry, I don’t know how she was able to see you.”
“Well it is said small children, like animals, can see or feel paranormal things.”
“Maybe.”
“Hmm. She’s quite spunky though and seems like a darling.”
The teen beams brightly at this. “She’s my precious baby sister.”
“A bit spoiled though, isn’t she?”
The teen looks up with anger at the man before sighing defeatedly and looking down. “Kind of, but it’s not her fault. Mom and Dad just want her to be happy and not think about them being divorced or the growing tension going on around the city and the outside world. You know, just be a kid.”
“And what of you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you ever to be allowed to be a kid anymore?”
Gladio bites his lip before looking down at his feet and fiddling with his fingers. “Well, I play games with Iris.”
“How often is that?”
“We have a game night on Fridays when she’s not at our Mom’s and I’m not late from training. So maybe once or twice every other month?”
Ardyn frowns at this and goes to ask the boy another question but stops when the little brunette girl bounds back into the room and grabs her brother’s arm, giving it a slight tug.
“Come on Gladdy, let's start making dinner!”
“Okay, okay, I’m coming.” he says and snickers at her enthusiasm.
Iris stops briefly and gives a smile to Ardyn. “Are you hungry Mr. Ghost? Do you want to help us make food and eat with us?”
“I am quite all right child, do not fret about me and just have fun with your brother.”
“Oh, okay then.” she says, slightly pouty but yanks on her brother’s arm and leads him over to the kitchen.
Ardyn watches the siblings silently, finding them greatly amusing when they bicker one moment but then giggle and fling bits of ingredients at each other. It makes him think back and how things could have been different between him and his sibling if they were to have gotten along instead of being pitted as rivals. But he is dragged from his thoughts and has to quickly hide when the front door opens, with their father walking in. The two stop in their tracks, with Gladio looking with slight fear before taking a rigid military stance while his sister titters and runs to him.
“Papa, you’re home!”
“Hello Iris.” he says taking a soft tone and patting her on her head despite looking with displeasure at her messy appearance. “Did you have fun at your mother’s.”
“Yup, but I’m happy to be back home with you and Gladdy.”
“That’s good.”
“We even started to get things ready for dinner too, we’re going to make you a nice meal.”
The elder looks incredulously at the mess. “Hmm, I see. But since you haven’t really started anything, why don’t you go get washed up and we go out to dinner instead. We haven’t done that in a while.”
“Yea! Okay papa!” the tiny girl cheers and dashes off.
The room goes tense once she’s out of sight, with the patriarch turning to his son and looking with dissatisfaction. “I expect this to be cleaned up by the time we return.”
“Yes sir.” the teen says almost robotically that it makes Ardyn grimace.
The teen immediately begins tidying up as his sister returns, but she stops and looks with a pout at her older brother before turning to her father.
“How come Gladdy’s not ready? Isn’t he going too?”
“He’s grounded and needs to clean up this mess you two made.”
Iris takes on a petulant look and folds her arms, turning away from her father. “I want him to come with, we never go out together as a family anymore, not since mama moved out to go live with her friend.”
Gladio winces and stops what he is doing as his father sighs with a head shake.
“Gladiolus, go get cleaned up, quickly.”
Iris cheers happily and gives her father a hug as the teen retreats to his room to get changed, letting a small smile slip out that only Ardyn notices.
Re: Fill (6/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-11-20 02:36 pm (UTC)(link)At least he gets a small measure of care from Ignis and Cor.
Re: Fill (6/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-11-27 12:08 am (UTC)(link)Fill (7/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-12-13 01:33 am (UTC)(link)“Our child is wonderful and perfect. Please tell Iris I love her very much, give her lots of hugs and kisses for me and tell her I can’t wait to see her again.”
Ardyn’s eyebrows quirk in confusion and boiling anger. The teen had called her his mother too, so it wasn’t like she was a stepmother and the girl only belonged to her. Was there no one else in the urchin's life besides his grizzled instructor, the little steward in training, the old butler, and his sister that truly cared for him? And even so, two of them were because of his servitude to the crown, one was duty, and the other familial. Ardyn lets a sigh escape him and then almost snorts as the man flinches from his couch in fright, frantically looking around before shaking his head and rubbing at his face with a groan. He heads off to his bed finally leaving Ardyn to skulk around, read from his magic books, raid the fridge, contemplates setting the hideous drapes on fire, and most definitely not making sure the oaf and his little sister are sleeping snuggly. Morning finally arrives with the teen and his father up, preparing for their day with the elder just barking orders and the younger replying with a simple ‘yes sir’. The old butler makes his return, bringing with him some pastries and a bit of joy for the sad little urchin since his father’s ire has been pacified from the man’s presence and just bids them farewell before leaving again.
“Have you packed yourself lunch for the day Gladiolus?”
“No sir, I was just going to take a snack today.”
“Oh no, that won’t do.” the man says and takes out a loaf of bread from a plastic box on the counter before going to the fridge. “You’re a growing boy and you need to make sure you keep yourself fed and hydrated properly. Can’t have you burning out during your training now.”
Gladio smiles and nods. “Yeah, thank you Jared.”
Ardyn watches as the man prepares the teen his lunch, seeing the joy it brings to the child. It causes a strange feeling in his chest, seeing how happy the boy is from just the simple act of making him a sandwich. Hmm, maybe he should play matchmaker, find the oaf a suitable mate. Once everything is packed up neatly, the teen receives a loving pat on the head and sent off with well wishes, him trotting away with esteem.
“My, you are quite chipper today.” Ardyn lets a soft smirk escape him, still finding pleasure in spooking the boy.
“Oh, hello sir. Yeah, my sister is back home and Jared will be there too. I won’t be alone.” he says and then looks a bit down. “Especially after you leave.”
“Ah, yes. Although I don’t think my presence is all that big of a deal.” Ardyn says, but then looks a bit taken aback at the cheery smile the teen gives him before continuing on his way.
This causes the man to have a bit of a quandary. He cannot fathom how this child could actually find his company enjoyable, most who come into contact with him either want to kill him or find him nefarious, which he doesn’t find issue with. But for someone to actually like him? Preposterous. Ardyn just shakes his head and hides himself as he continues to follow the teen to his morning class, finding it to be a dreadful repeat of the other, with the teen being ignored or mocked by his peers. At least this time Ardyn decides to have a bit of fun, knocking a rather haughty boy’s seat out from under him and spilling the instructor’s coffee onto his garish corduroys. Seriously, who would wear lime green pants with a bright purple vest, it was a crime against humanity! Once his class is over he heads off to his daily training, becoming slightly apprehensive as he gets closer to his destination. Ardyn is slightly confused by this until he remembers that some of those who had attacked the boy the other day were fellow trainees. Would they try to jump him again thinking he is weakened from the stab? Or will the little shits leave him be thinking that a monster will come after them? Ardyn’s lips curl into a devilish grin. If the bastards do decide to harm the teen, he’ll make sure they regret it. But as they make their way inside, they find everyone in disarray and frantically running around in search.
“The hell?” Gladio murmurs out before spotting the Advisor in training looking rather distraught and panicked. “Hey Ignis, what’s going on?”
The younger boy looks at him with a deep frown. “His Highness has gone missing. He was to watch you and the others train to get an idea of what he will be doing soon. He became antsy and kept complaining he was bored, then he left ten minutes ago saying he needed to use the lavatory and hasn’t returned nor is he still in there.”
“You gotta be shitting me.” the older teen grunts and looks around. “Did he head back into the main area?”
“No, there are guards at all the exits, no one seen him go by. So he has to still be somewhere in the training hall, but we just can’t find him.”
“I’m sure he’s around here, probably just hiding in hopes he gets out of learning.” Gladio says and puts a hand on the younger boy’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. “So take a deep breath, relax, and let's go look around again.”
“Yes, thank you Gladio.” the younger says, calming slightly.
The two boys run off in search of the missing Prince, leaving Ardyn to watch the mayhem of everyone running around in hysterics. He feels his anger bubble up, letting a low growl escape him as he begins to skulk around. This just wouldn’t be tolerated of the Chosen King, running off and hiding when he should be learning. Ardyn relaxes and allows himself to be pulled along by some unseen force, eventually coming to stand before one of the many storage rooms. He enters inside quietly, scanning around before catching a glimpse of a black mass curled up under some stacked mats. There, was the sleeping form of the Prince. The chancellor growls lowly again, preparing to charge forward and slap some sense into the child but stops as he hears a familiar voice. He steps from the room, seeing Gladio and the other boy dashing from a room down the hall into one adjacent as they continue their search. Ardyn purses his lips and gets an idea, one he believes would do well for the little Shield in training. He travels to where the two boys are, reaching out and giving a tug to the older brunette’s ear to get his attention. Gladio turns towards the door and rubs at his ear, a pout on his face before he gets a soft nudge towards the exit. He looks slightly confused as he’s shooed out but then stops and smiles knowingly.
The teen spots the opened door down the hall. “Hey Ignis, I think I have an idea where he is.” he says and runs down the hall with the other boy not far behind.
They enter the room and begin looking around until Gladio is nudged towards the mats, finding the sleeping child at last.
“Highness, thank the gods he’s all right.” Ignis sighs out as Gladio carefully drags the younger boy from under the mats and holds him in his arms.
The Prince lets out a groan and wraps his arms around the older boy’s neck, nuzzling into his front before going still as he falls back asleep. At least for a few seconds until Gladio unceremoniously jostles him around, making the younger boy groan, Ignis wince, and Ardyn sigh softly.
“Hey! No time for napping! You made everyone worry.” Gladio reprimands and returns the scowl shot at him by the boy in his arms. “Apologise to Ignis.”
The Prince wrinkles his nose and looks away. “Sorry Iggy.”
“Thank you Noct, but what would possess you to run off and nap in a storage room?”
The young boy just shrugs his shoulders and yawns, getting groans from the older two. Even Ardyn feels a migraine coming on, smacking at the stack of mats in frustration and knocking them over. The three boys yelp in shock with the two smaller latching tightly onto the biggest who grabs them up protectively. Once they get over their initial fright, the older boys turn an annoyed eye to the Prince who looks a bit bashful.
“That, would have severely injured you if they had fallen earlier.” Ignis huffs at the black haired child.
The Prince groans and releases his tight hold on the oldest of the three, walking huffily from the room with Ignis in toe as the older boy continues to lecture him. Gladio sighs and shakes his head before looking around the room, a soft smile forming on his lips as he nods.
“Thank you, Sir.” he says and follows after the other two.
Ardyn feels a strange pull in his chest, his lips slightly quirking into a smile that is quickly willed away with a grunt. He leaves the room as well and stalks after the three, them returning to the main hall where they are met by the instructor and other guards. It would seem Ardyn’s plan had worked, with the teen being praised for finding the Prince and bringing him back safely. An esteemed smile spreads across his face, one that makes that strange feeling fester in Ardyn’s chest. He hated it at first, but now, now he’s starting to like it. Maybe being summoned by the little oaf isn’t as bad as he had initially thought, he’s actually enjoying himself for once.
Re: Fill (7/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-12-13 06:31 pm (UTC)(link)I want to hug Gladio so badly right now. He needs more friends! I low-key hope that Ardyn will somehow manage to make Gladio's relations with his father better.
Why did Noctis run away anyway? And awww, Gladio thanked Ardyn. I hope they will talk and spend more time together in next chapters :3
Re: Fill (7/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-12-14 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)Fill (8/?) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2017-12-29 04:05 am (UTC)(link)“You did well, son.” the elder Amicitia says and rests his hand on the boys head.
Gladio smiles with pride as the man walks away, the teen bowing as the man leaves the area. Once the elder is no longer around, Gladio begins to peer around in search until Ardyn reveals himself.
“I am here chi-” Ardyn is silenced when arms wrap around him, the teen hugging him tightly. “Unhand me this instant!”
Gladio does as told but continues to smile up at the man. “I want to thank you again for helping us out in finding the Prince.”
“Well couldn’t let the little brat laze about when he should be learning, especially with all that you and that little steward are put through.”
“You’re a nice man sir.”
Ardyn’s face crinkles slightly, but inside his body, he feels a warmth. “Yes, well don’t get used to it.”
Gladio chuckles slightly and collects up his gear now that he is done for the day. The auburn haired man re-hides himself and follows the teen back towards his home until the young boy stops to look around at the park from before. He lets out a soft sigh and goes to walk away but stops to stare once again, a look of longing taking over his face.
“Shall we go inside for a brief moment? Maybe take a little stroll?”
“Uh, yeah, okay.” Gladio says, freezing momentarily before stepping making his way into the park.
The two males walk the trail that leads through the park, with Gladio pointing out all the places where him and his family would have fun spending time together before looking a tad melancholy. The teen eventually stops and steps off the trail to descend down a hill, looking around before finding what he wants and running to a large maple tree.
He circles the tree in search, before his face lights up. “It’s still there, I thought someone would have carved over it.”
Ardyn steps forward to look at what has got the boy so happy, seeing four initials carved into the tree; CA, LA, GA, and IA. “Your family?”
“Yeah, this is where we’d have our picnics. I carved all our initials into the tree.” he says and purses his lips. “I got disciplined for using a knife and for carving into the tree.” Gladio sits back and pulls his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and resting his head on his knees. “That was two years ago, right before my parents got divorced. I miss spending time together with them, but I know it can never happen again. Dad’s always busy and my Mom, well, she doesn’t come around anymore. Dad usually drops Iris off to her and my Mom’s new boyfriend brings her back. I’m definitely bringing Iris here when she gets older, we’ll start a new tradition and have picnics here.”
Ardyn frowns down at the teen, but then he thinks of something and grins. Gladio lets out a soft sigh and gets up off the ground, dusting himself off before looking up at the older man with a smile. The two return back to the trail, with Gladio resuming his blithering as Ardyn mildly listens while also formulating a plan that he believes will make the little urchin feel better. Upon arriving home, the teen is pounced upon by his little sister, the girl chirping at him and asking how his day was. He tells her about the escapade in finding the prince, but he makes sure to give all the credit to Ardyn, or “Mr. Ghost” as he is referred to by the wee girl. She pouts slightly, saying she was looking all over for him to play with her and gets mad at her brother for hogging him all to himself, but then gets over it when the older man picks her up and gives her a playful toss making her giggle. The siblings head to the living area where Gladio begins working on his homework while his sister mimics her brother by scribbling numbers on a paper with a crayon. Ardyn can’t help but let a smile slip forth watching the children, wondering if things had turned out differently would him and his brother shared a bond like this; or maybe he could have had children of his own. The old butler then calls the two to dinner and afterward Gladio helps clean up the dishes with Iris attempting to dry them. It was then time for the elder Amicitia to return home, scooping up his daughter for a hug and greeting his son with a slight more enthusiasm then Ardyn has seen before. The old butler bids the family goodnight and leaves, with the children’s father taking a seat on the couch to listen to his daughter tell him all about her day. Gladio resumes doing his homework as his family chats just amongst the two of them so Ardyn begins to put his plan into motion. He heads over to a storage closet he remembers shoving a tacky vase into and carefully enters inside, searching around for a box he had seen before and once he finds it on top of another, like a cat with a cup, knocks it over.
“What was that?” Iris gasps and clings to her father as both he and Gladio go on edge.
Their father goes to check what the noise was, opening the closet door and checking around where he finds the source of the noise. “A box seems to have fallen over.”
Iris rushes over curiously and searches through the mess as her father attempts to right it, finding a rectangle box that she smiles with joy at. “Hey, I remember this game. You, Mama, and Gladdy used to play it.” she says and looks up with pleading eyes at her father. “Can we play it Papa? Me, you, and Gladdy?”
The elder purses his lips and crinkles his brow as he looks down at his daughter holding the box. He lets out a soft sigh, his features growing softer. “Sure.”
“Yea!” the girl cheers and rushes over to the coffee table where her brother sits with his school work. Iris unabashedly tosses the papers away and sets the game box down, looking at the teen with glee. “Come on, let’s play Gladdy!”
“All right all right, calm down.” he says and helps her set up the board game.
Their father joins them and the game gets underway, the three truly enjoying themselves. Ardyn stands off to the side and watches, feeling a minor bit of satisfaction that the young boy looks truly happy. The game goes for a few rounds, the young girl ‘winning’ each time until she begins to yawn and rub at her eyes.
“All right Iris, it’s time for bed now.” her father tells her.
“Can Gladdy read to me first?”
The man grunts but gives in. “Not a long one, he needs to finish his school work.”
“Okay!” she says and grabs her brother by the hand.
The siblings head off, leaving their father to pick up the game. Once finished, he looks with curiosity at his son’s homework and scoops it up, checking over everything he has done thus far. Ardyn watches as the man flips through the papers, then does another scan over them. A rare smile forms on his lips as he grunts approvingly and sets the papers down just as the teen walks back in. Gladio freezes in slight apprehension as he views his father set his work down but relaxes when the man nods to him.
“Your reports are all correct, but you still need work on your penmanship.”
Ardyn can’t help but roll his eyes at the little critique the man had to slip in after praising the boy. But he lets it go since the teen smiles.
“I will work on that issue.” he says and returns to his papers.
The elder becomes a bit ridged as the room grows silent, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing, only to move back into its prior wrinkle. It would seem Gladio has noticed his father’s uncomfortableness but he returns to his work and tries to ignore it.
Finally, his father sighs. “Gladiolus, do you, find me harsh?”
The teen goes still, more than likely trying to think of the best response before answering the man.
“No, not really.” he replies, a slight shake to his voice. “Why do you ask?”
His father frowns. “I have heard from, a few people that my actions towards you are quite cruel, that I am too hard on you and should let you enjoy being a child more instead of forcing you into your role so soon.”
Gladio begins to chew on his lower lip and looks down at the table to avoid his father’s gaze. “Well umm-”
“With the looming threat from our enemies constantly on the horizon, I just want you to be prepared thoroughly to take on the mantle of Shield and protect your liege with all of your being. But, maybe I am being overly pessimistic.”
Gladio looks up at his father, the man wearing a genuine remorseful look and gives the elder a soft smile. The man gives one back and ruffles his son’s hair before standing up from the couch and heading off to bed with a quick goodnight to his son before going to check on his daughter. Gladio lets out a soft sigh, smile still on his lips, and returns to finishing up his homework. He stops when he feels another hand lay upon his head, smiling growing even wider as his locks get tousled again.
“That was you who knocked over the box, wasn’t it?” Gladio whispers.
“I thought it would be a nice little bonding moment between you and your kin.” Ardyn says as he manifests himself. “It seems to have worked too.”
“Yeah, it did. Thank you, sir.”
“Ardyn. I think you’ve earned the right to use my name now, Gladiolus.”
“Thank you, Ardyn.”
Fill (9/10) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2018-01-27 04:40 am (UTC)(link)“I’m really going to miss you when you go back home.” Gladio says, cheeks slightly pink and face looking of forlorn as they walk home now that he is done with training.
Ah yes, that.
“I as well child. But I’m sure you’ll forget about me since things seem to be getting better for you.”
It has, while he still gets some razzing from his classmates, the instructor has been nicer to him; especially since Ardyn put his newfound shapeshifting spell to good use by taking on the guise of the portly principle and giving a talking down to the haughty teacher. Plus he has gained a few little admirers from some of the females in his class that has given the teenager a boost of confidence, hopefully it doesn’t give him a big ego. With his training, he now works one on one with his stoned faced tutor, the man preparing him for his eventual training of the Prince. But the biggest change has been with the boy’s father. While he’s still gruff with him at times, he’s been more lenient about what is expected of the teen, allowing him to have time where he can just act like a normal child.
“I know it is but, I’ll still miss you and all the fun things we did.”
“Oh? Like bopping you over the head like a misbehaving pup?”
Gladio chuckles to himself. “Well, not that. I like talking to you about books and history, playing games along with Iris, and when we go for walks. You’re kind of like a cool Uncle.”
Ardyn allows a rare smile to creep onto his face at the boy’s words. “And you’re like a pesky little rascal who will not stay off my lawn, but is sweetly endearing at the same time.”
Gladio chuckles again and even the older man lets a soft one out.
“So were you able to find a spell you’ll believe will work?”
“Hmm, possibly.”
Ardyn had narrowed it down to two, but both still had issues besides potentially not working. The one finalized with a kiss seemed the more simplistic, he just doesn’t want to steal away the boy’s first kiss nor is he comfortable with kissing a thirteen-year-old. He does have some morals. Then there's the second option with its cryptic ‘the summoner must give up something they hold dear’. The only thing that seems dear to the boy is his sister and that is a major no. Maybe he’ll just let Gladio decide when it’s time. And speaking of time.
“You said everyone will be out of the house on Sunday, correct?”
“Yeah, my Dad will be having council meetings all day and Jared is taking Iris to get her haircut in the afternoon. So that will give us about an hour and a half to set everything up and perform the spell.”
“So two more days and I will be back home.” Ardyn says with a soft sigh. He feels quite relieved at the prospect of returning back to Niflheim, but a small part of him feels a pang of sadness. Damn little urchin with his sad kicked puppy face.
“Hey,” Gladio begins, him slightly fidgeting and looking bashful. “we should do something fun before you leave, like a going away party.”
“Hmm, wouldn’t really be a party if it’s just the two of us.”
“Still, we should do something.” the teen says and then looks over at the park as they walk by. “Hey, do you want to go walk that trail again?”
Ardyn sighs annoyedly, wanting to get back to the teen’s abode and take a nice long bath. But when he sees the sparkle in those amber eyes, he knows he can’t say no. “Very well, but only for a bit.”
Gladio beams brightly and turns into the park, with Ardyn shaking his head and following soon after. Once the two are on the trail and safely out of view from most people, Ardyn unhides and walks aside of the teen.
“Are there places like this from where you are from?” Gladio asks curiously.
“Yes, but I seldom get to enjoy them.”
Can't really stop to smell the roses when you're trying to dispose of a body. Although, maybe he should take a walk sometime, he might find some new serene places where he can hide the remains of his enemies.
“You should though, it can be relaxing.” Gladio says and then gets a playful look to him. “I wish I had a large bouncy ball.”
Without a thought, Ardyn flicks his wrist and manifest the object, then looks spitefully at it then the grinning child standing before him. He goes to snap at the boy but then notices the eager puppy face he is giving him, feeling his ire slowly slipping away.
“Let me guess, you want me to throw this so you can chase after it then bring it back to me?”
Gladio frowns. “I’m a dog. I wanna play catch with you.”
Ardyn looks at the round item in his hand, brain slowly processing what was just said to him. ‘Play catch’. That was something a parent and child do for fun. The older man returns his gaze to the teen, him looking more like an overgrown toddler as he bounces on his toes and looks hopeful.
“Very well, I shall amuse you. For a bit.”
Gladio moves himself further down the trail before turning back to Ardyn, hopping slightly and flailing his arms.
“Okay! Throw it to me!”
A cheeky little smile curls onto the bound Chancellors lips. He does toss the ball, right over the teen’s head, making him chase after it. The teen bounds back over while still wearing his trademark goofy grin and tosses the ball back. Ardyn watches as it sails towards him, pursing his lips and using his magic to bring the ball to him.
“Hey, that’s cheating!” Gladio grumbles but stops and watches as the ball is tossed back, right over his head. He puffs his cheeks out and chases after the ball. “All right, I’m going to throw it and no cheating this time!”
Ardyn still does it anyway. The two continue their little game until it begins to get dark, realizing they stayed a little longer then they had planned. They rush back as quickly as they can but as soon as Gladio steps foot inside his house, he is greeted by an angry look from his father.
“You’re late.” the man says lowly.
Gladio goes rigid. Ardyn leans in close to him and whispers something to the teen, him relaxing slightly.
“I wanted to work on my stamina more and went for a jog at the park.”
The elder Amicitia stares at his son briefly before grunting. “Call someone next time.”
“Yes sir.” he says, letting a soft sigh escape him.
“Go get yourself cleaned up, Jared will have dinner ready at eighteen-thirty.”
“Will do, sir.”
The teen heads off to wash himself, getting pounced upon by his sister as he does.
“Gladdy I was so worried when you didn’t come home, but then I remembered Mr. Ghost is with you and he won’t let anything bad happen to you.” she says and then giggles when she feels a phantom hand pat her on the head. “Oh, oh! Hey Mr. Ghost can I show you something while my brother gets cleanup?”
“Iris, what are you up to?” the teen asks curiously.
“None of your business Gladdy, gosh.”
Ardyn chuckles to himself and gives her a little nudge while nodding. She leads the invisible man to her room and once she makes sure no one followed she closes the door marginally.
“What is it you want to show me child?” he asks, then watches as the little girl runs over to a bag, taking out a book and presenting it to him. “A children’s book?”
“Yeah, Papa gave Jared some money so that I could get something when we went shopping today and I got this. I want to practice reading with you so that I can read it to my Papa and Gladdy. Will you help me?”
He looks down at her, looking into her big puppy eyes, and just like with her brother he knows he can’t deny her. “Very well.”
Iris squeals happily and plops down into a little plush Moogle chair. Ardyn listens as the girl reads her book, correcting her whenever she mispronounces a word and helping her when she doesn’t know one. Eventually, she is called for dinner, leaving Ardyn to amble about the house by himself. He eventually makes his way back down to the basement, looking at the spot on the floor where he was summoned. A strange feeling comes over him, setting the daemons who inhabit him into a tizzy. While he was delighted with the prospect of returning back to his home, a part of him feels a tad melancholy, knowing once he returns there will be no one to greet him. Ardyn snaps out of his funk and shakes his head. Maybe he’ll get himself a cat or two, they don’t need much care and can be mildly friendly, when not sleeping or being little assholes. He hears a raucous bout of laughter from upstairs, upon heading back up he finds the little girl in the midst of a giggle fit as she is relentlessly tickled by her brother as their bemused Father watches from his spot in his recliner. It was a sweet little sight, almost enough to make his blackened heart swell. After the siblings finish their battle, the little girl presents them with her new book.
“Would you like for me to read that to you Iris?” Clarus asks.
“Nope, I want to read it to you and Gladdy.”
The two men look at her in surprise before smiling at her. Iris pushes over an ottoman to sit on so she is near both her Father and brother. She looks at the both of them before quickly glancing at Ardyn, giving him a little smile and proceeding to read her book. The night rolls on with Gladio getting a start on his homework as his sister gets tucked into bed. Once she is alone, Ardyn goes to her and motions for her to remain quiet.
“Young one, I have a favor to ask of you. I’ll be leaving here shortly and I have a deep concern for your brother. Would you promise me, that you’ll always show him love and support, especially when the weight of the world and his duty tries to push him down.”
“Okay Mr. Ghost, I promise.” she whispers softly, a smile on her face.
He smiles at her in return but then looks at her curiously as she holds up her pinkie to him.
“What ever are you doing?”
“It’s a pinkie promise. You clasp pinkies with someone you make a promise to and you can never break it.”
Ardyn chuckles softly at this. Such a simple little thing, but so endearing. He clasps his pinkie with hers, the little girl smiling broadly before releasing him and snuggling down in her bed.
“Goodnight Mr. Ghost.”
“Goodnight Iris.”
The auburn haired man retreats from her room and returns to the living room, finding the teen there alone, doing his schoolwork. Ardyn walks over to him and glances at his work, watching as he carefully writes his words in cursive. The older man gives a pat to the boy’s head, him stopping momentarily to smile before resuming his work.
Fill (10/10) Any/Ardyn, demon summoning gone wrong
(Anonymous) 2018-02-25 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)“All right, that’s done,” Gladio says and wipes chalk dust off his hands. “now for the candles and incense then we can start the spell.”
“Hmm, yes.” Ardyn says and furrows his brows.
He still has to decide what spell he wants to do. Both set up the same but when it comes to activating the spell is where it differs, and there is the horrible possibility neither will work and he has to try the third. And possibly having to rape or murder the boy are not an option he’s willing to do. If it was when he first was dragged here he might of, but now he wishes to bring no harm to the sad little urchin, feeling that life already shits all over him as is.
“Okay Ardyn, what’s next?”
Ardyn freezes. Shit, what was he to do. “Well I,” he says and tips his head back and thinks. “we need to decide which incantation to do.”
“Okay, so what are the choices?” Gladio asks, looking naively innocent.
“The first requires your blood and some herbs to be mixed together as you recite the spell, you will then need to drink the mixture and pass it to me,” he says and smirks at the disgusted look the boy makes. “with a kiss.”
Gladio’s cheeks turn a deep red. “Oh, uh what’s the other?”
“The other requires,” Ardyn falters again but shakes his head and continues. “you to give up something you hold dear in exchange for my freedom.”
“Something, I hold dear?” Gladio says and begins to think.
“Both choices have, issues, to say the least. But I leave it for you to decide.”
“So I either have to drink a nasty mix of my blood and some plants,” Ardyn can’t help but chuckle that the teen finds that to be the issue. “or give up something precious to me.”
The teen fidgets around as he mulls over his choices has a brief moment where it would seem he made his decision, only to go back to thinking. Ardyn sighs out and leans against some boxes as he places his hands inside his pockets, but then feels something in one that makes him knit his brows. It was the gift he bought for the teen at that occult shop, he had forgotten all about it.
“Gladio.” he says and gets the boy’s attention. “I had gotten something for you but forgot about it after you were stabbed in that alley. Here.”
The teen holds his hand out and accepts the necklace, looking at it and then smiling fondly. “This is really cool Ardyn, thank you. I’ll cherish it.” he says and puts it over his head, then looks at it again. “Meeting you and spending all these times together, has been so much fun.” Gladio looks at him and smiles, tears rolling down his face. “I’m going to greatly miss you.”
“I as well child.” Ardyn says and returns his smile. “I’ll make sure when I return I won’t see you harmed.”
“Huh?” Gladio begins but then chuckles and wipes his tears away. “You say the strangest things Ardyn.”
“Truly.”
The brunette looks back down at the necklace, running his finger over the metal x and then nods. “I know what I need to do.”
“You have, what is it?”
“The second spell.”
Ardyn’s brows crinkle. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Very well.” he says and retrieves the appropriate book.
He hands it over to the teen and reads over it with him, but his mind can’t really focus, wondering just what the teen has chosen to give up. It wouldn’t be anyone from his family, he loves his baby sister too much and he doubts he’d pick his Father. His duty as Shield? No, he wouldn’t do that either, it’d just fall to Iris and Gladio wouldn’t ever do that to her. Finally, once Gladio is able to memorize and pronounce the incantation they take their places, Ardyn in the center while Gladio kneels before him. The teen takes a couple breaths and then snickers as Ardyn pats his head, giving him a smile before relaxing.
“Voco super spirituum, implorare debetis, ut audirent sermones meos. Liberabo te hoc peto, ut non reverteretur a binding et eo unde venisset.” Gladio sniffles, tears forming in his eyes again and continues. “I offer, as the thing I hold dear, my memories of the time we spent together.”
Ardyn looks stunned at the boy but before he can react the rune activates and a bright light engulfs him. He opens his eyes and looks to the child, seeing him crying but with a smile still on his face.
“Thank you, Ardyn, for being kind to me and being my first friend.”
The light becomes so intense that Ardyn can’t help but shut his eyes tightly again, then everything goes dark. He slowly reopens them and looks around, finding himself inside a cold, silent, and dark house. Home, he was home, but he doesn’t feel much joy. Just very sad and lonely. It would be ten years before he meets with the once sad sack with puppy eyes, finding him to now be a beast of a man, tattooed and scarred with eyes full of life and care. Although now they're looking at him with suspicion.
“Yes?” Gladio asks, voice sounding gravelly and distrustful. “Something you want?”
Ardyn looks down at the book the young man is holding and smiles. “That’s an interesting book you have there.”
Gladio looks down at it and lets a smile slip out. “Yeah, had this since I was young, can’t remember though where I got it, but it’s one of my favorites. Must have read it over a hundred times.”
The auburn haired man nods and then looks to see the necklace he gave to him around his neck, feeling his cold and blackened heart grow warm.